This Modeling Agency Celebrates Individuality

This Modeling Agency Is Telling Young Girls That Their Differences Are Worth Celebrating

When it comes to the idea of individuality, the fashion industry can be two-faced. On the one hand, it tells you that people with the best style stand out in a crowd — but on the other, you should copy what those people are wearing and buying, lest you look wrong. Lately, we've made an effort to stop being prescriptive and celebrate diversity in all its forms. We're always happy to see other fashion industry players make that claim, too. The Society Management — the model agency that reps some of the biggest names to walk at NYFW (including Kendall Jenner) — has partnered with Girls, Inc. of New York City to spread a very important message: Be different. They're doing so by rounding up 10 of their top women to front the campaign through its hashtag #HerSocietyStory.

Says The Society: "Through this series, we want to inspire all girls with the message that each one of them are different and equally valuable within society. They are growing up in an age where more and more opportunities have become possible, and they are free to be any version of themselves they want to be. "

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Photo: Courtesy of The Society Management.

All of the girls featured in the #HerSocietyStory campaign come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Amilna Estevão is a model-meets-humanitarian who comes from Angola, Africa; Bhumika Arora is one of the first Indian models to reach success beyond the confines of her homeland; Molly Bair is often heralded as one of the industry's "gawky-yet-gorgeous" faces; and Andreja Pejic is easily the most famous transgender model in the world. Altogether, they represent eight different countries.

That's not to say that in terms of really demanding diversity, there's no room to grow: The plus-size and differently abled communities aren't represented and the idea of using women in menswear as a subversive move has its fair share of critics.

Photo: Courtesy of The Society Management.

But it's a good step in the right direction. French model Josephine Le Tutour, who can also be seen on Vogue Turkey's September issue, is proud to be a part of the campaign, but had a clever idea when we asked her what other work can be done. "I think it would be a great idea if Fashion Week was more oriented toward a cause. Each season, a different cause should be supported and each participating label should propose a unique piece that would be auctioned at the end of each week in order to raise money for charity. Business and charity can — and should — go hand in hand," she told us. Not a bad idea.Girls, Inc. of New York City is a nonprofit organization that provides more than 40 educational and lifestyle programs to underprivileged young women (ages 6 to 18), all in a safe and experimental environment. The organization employs educators from a wide range of vocations.

To see more of the #HerSocietyStory project, head over to the campaign's homepage, where you can read every model's testimony and find out how to get involved.